The UAE is geared up to host a “very special” World Expo 2020 in Dubai, said Reem Ibrahim Al Hashimi, Minister of State and Managing Director of the Higher Committee for Hosting the World Expo 2020.

Speaking late on Thursday at a reception hosted here by the National Media Council to celebrate UAE Day at Expo 2012 Yeosu, Al Hashimi said: “we are very confident of our ability to host this major event. I just hope that we have the opportunity to do so and that we can welcome you to a very special Expo in Dubai in 2020.”

Present were Abdullah Khalfan Matar Al Rumaithi, UAE Ambassador to South Korea; Abdullah Al Aydarous, Deputy Commissioner of the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2012 Yeosu; Lee Joon-hee, Commissioner General of Expo 2012 Yeosu; officials, diplomats and members of Korean and international media.

Al Hashimi praised the unlimited support given by the UAE government to enable strong participation at Expo 2012 Yeosu.

“I am delighted to welcome you to join with us in celebrating UAE Day at this great Expo in the beautiful city of Yeosu. In doing so, I am also pleased to recognise the strong support that our government has given to enable our participation in this Expo, together with a series of previous Expos over more than forty years, since before the State was even established. It is true to say that the UAE shares the values of trust, solidarity and progress that are embodied in the statutes of the BIE [Bureau International des Expositions]. We are honoured to belong to the family of nations that have joined with us at this Expo.”

She added that the UAE’s participation in this event represented both a challenge and an opportunity.

“The challenge is to develop the guiding theme, ‘Living Ocean and Coast’ and to create a ‘window’ through which visitors can see our passion and interest in the seas and oceans that cover four-fifths of our planet,” she explained.

“I wish to congratulate the organisers on selecting a theme that has such global resonance. Whilst we focus within our pavilion on our own section of the marine world — our coastline, shallow seas and bordering ocean, in all their aspects — we also recognise the connectivity that the sea creates between different continents, countries and cities. It is a very big picture and a huge challenge to do it justice.”

“The opportunity to which I refer stems from what we can achieve by embracing the BIE’s own vision for the contribution that Expos should make on the world stage.”

Al Hashimi said the UAE endorses and embraces the BIE’s own vision for Expos that “foster education through experience, development through innovation and experimentation through cooperation”.

Meanwhile, BIE secretary-general Vicente Gonzalez Loscertales said Dubai has all what it takes to successfully host Expo 2020, including the modern and world-class infrastructure, as well as the unique and strategic location.

“We look forward to learning more about the UAE project, its vision and its bid campaign for hosting World Expo 2020 in Dubai. It is up to the 160 member states to select the host city for Expo 2020. There are two success factors here; the technical standards and the ability to convince the 160 voting state that the bid is worth voting for,” he added.